Hand-truck.



f PATENTED JUNE 2, 190s. W. H.' HART a s. N. oLsBN. v

HAND TRUCK.

APPLI-OATION FILED MAR. so, 190s.

\ No MODEL.

'Patented rune e, 1903.

Fries.

ATENI WILLIAM n. HART AND SAMUEL N. oLsEN, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

HAND-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. I729,931, dated June 2, 1903. Applicationlled March 30, 1903. Serial No. 150,153. (No model.)

To afZZ whom. it may concern:

' Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. HART and SAMUEL N. OLSEN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Vehicles; and we do partly in side elevation and partly in section,

of a truck embodying our present invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views, partly in section, on the planes indicated by the lines 2 2 and 3 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring by numeralsto the drawings, ll

represents the frame of the truck, and 23 the wheels thereof, mounted on theaxle 4. Adjacent to but outside of said wheels are the brackets 5 G', formed with' longitudinal sock'- ets having opposed concave inner surfaces, the said sockets extending entirely through each side of each bracket and the latter having oppositely-extending flanges at their upper ends, whereby the said ybrackets are attached to the frame 1 by'bolts 7 7, the brackets being so formed that when' their socketed portions are vertical the flanges are disposed at an angle thereto, as shown in Fig. l. The ends of the axle rest in the lower bearingblocks 8, whose opposed sides are convex, so as to fit snugly against the concave inner surfaces of the bracket-sockets, as shown best in Fig. 3, whereby the said blocks, on which the said brackets have longitudinal move- Inent,are kept in place and line. These blocks 8 have studs 9 on their upper ends, which receive the lower ends of coiled springs l0,whose upper ends receive similar studs 11 on the lower ends of the upper bearing-blocks 12, the upperends of Said upper blocks 12 being formed on an angle corresponding to that of the upper surfaces of the flanges ofthe brackets and these upper blocks having convex sides, so that they may iit within the concave surfaces of the bracket-sockets, just as the lower bearing-blocks do. Surrounding the described Springs 10, but free from contact therewith and resting on the bearing-blocks ssA 8, are heavier coiled springs 13, which are considerably shorter than the springs 10.

The operation of ourdevice will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken inconnection with the drawings. The bearing-blocks, with their interposed springs, being loose and the brackets having free longitudinal movement thereon, as the Weight on the truck-frame increases (the axle being always suported by the wheels at a xed distance from the floor) the brackets are forced downward until with a heavy load the lighter springs 10 yield and the uppervbearing-blocks 12 are forced down until they rest on the tops of the heavier springs 18, which now support the load. Thus there is no change necessary in the construction of the device,

fwhether it is to bear a light or heavy load,

and the resiliency ofthe springs is such that they instantly adjust themslves to whatever weight they have to bear, and the most fragile articles can be carried as safely as the most solid and all to the great advantage of the user.

Our device, though shown inl connection with-a warehouse-truck, is equally well adapted for use with other styles of trucks, wheelbarrows, and similar hand-propelled vehicles.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Leters Patent, is-

1. In a hand-vehicle of the class described, the combination with a frame, of brackets secured beneath the opposite front edges of said frame, said brackets having vertical sockets open to the top and sides thereof, and formed with opposed concave inner surfaces; upper and lower bearing-blocks, loose in said bracket-sockets, and having convex outer ends in engagement with the opposed concave surfaces of said brackets; anaxle journaled in the said lower bearing-blocks,

land carrying wheels inside of said brackets,

and a pair of spiral springs of diere'nt di-k 2. In a hand-vehicle of the class described,

the combination with a frame, of brackets secured beneath the opposite front edges of said frame, said brackets having vertical sockets open to the top and sides thereof; upper and lower bearing-blocks loose in said bracket-soekets,the lower bearing-blocks carrying a wheeled axle, and the upper bearingblocks having direct Contact with the under side of said frame, and said bearing-blocks being provided with studs on their opposed surfaces; light spiral springs interposed between the upper and lower bearing-blocks,

with the ends of said springs surrounding said studs; and stouter or heavier spiral springs surrounding the first-named 'springs without Contact therewith, and of less height or length than said lighter springs.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of zo Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

` WM. H. HART.

SAMUEL N. OLSEN. Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERWOOD, ERNST I-IELLER. 

